The Beginning of the End
by Moral Intensity
Summary: This was written for a contest called The Past. Charlie is about to graduate from college and is ready to find a true love. But what happens when his decision isn't who it was supposed to be?
1. Chapter 1

The First Chapter

**Hey everyone! I am so happy that people decided to read my other fanfic, 'A New Story', and I was invited to be in a contest by ChazziBabes! The contest is called 'The Past', and I am so excited for y'all to read it!**

**Disclaimer: No, I do not own Twilight, but I own some other characters that I might make up….**

Charlie

The girl is absolutely gorgeous. Sparkly eyes, soft hair, even you could tell from her skin tone that she was an angel sent from above. I was instantly in love, and almost dropped my armload of stuff.

I was in the River Edge Market, the only grocery store in this small town and it had no shopping carts. I was here to buy some football food for me and my college roommate Mac. In our third year at the community school, we're hoping to be able to stay close friends after graduation next year. I was hoping to go into marine biology (I loved to fish) and Mac wanted to do some architecture.

Anyways, back to what I was trying to tell you……

The grocer clerk's name was Beth Ann. I saw her here last week when I was buying more football junk (Budweiser, Doritos, that kind of thing) and she was stacking tuna in the can aisle. Her long locks covered her face, but her figure was to perfection. And it still is, right now. I stumbled to the open line and placed all my crud on the conveyer belt, which chugged towards her.

"Hello." I croaked. She scanned a bottle of hot sauce and smiled at me.

"Hey, doll. What's all this food here for?" I just stared at her. Did she really just talk to me?

I cough and say, "Well, my bud is coming over for some sports and usually he gets real hungry and I just get a boat load of stuff. You're lucky I'm not droning on and on cause when I'm nervous I don't stop talking and people get, like, SUPER annoyed and tell me to…"

Beth Ann's smile faded and she shoved two plastic bags into my not-so-ready arms. I dropped them immediately and blushed a deep scarlet. I grabbed everything and stood back up, straightening my spine. She was pretty darn tall, and I was probably only two inches or so taller than her.

"Listen," I said. My throat suddenly felt very dry. "Come over to my place today. 1:30. The Reds are playin' and I think you'd enjoy yourself. I know me and Mac love it. Mac's my buddy. What do ya say?"

Beth Ann flashed another toothy grin (pearly white, I might add) and nodded vigorously. "I sure would love to, doll! But that's part of my shift. Could I come a little later?" My eyes get all foggy and I wobble on my feet. She was just so blinding, and I could not believe that she was agreeing to watch football with ME!

"Yeah! That's totally fine!" I exclaim, maybe a little too happy-go-lucky. "My name is, uh, Charlie. Wow, you're _positive_ you really wanna come over?" I felt stupid. This was all a trick, and I barely knew her! But picturing a big hunk swinging her off of her feet and walking off into the sunset made my blood go cold **(a little foreshadowing on Bella. Ha ha)**.

"Charlie? Doll, that there is a lovely name! Yes sir, I will definitely be over! But I might need some directions." She chuckled at her little joke and I laughed with her. She was just so care free and it felt great to be in love with someone like her. Back in the day, girls would practically vomit if I asked 'em out or said they were pretty. But not Beth Ann.

I pulled a map from a big rack and used a red Crayola crayon I found in my pocket to trace the path to my ram shackle two-story home. She said stuff like, "Yeah" and, "Uh uh" if I showed her where to turn. I scrawled my number at the bottom and, when she turned around for her purse, I wrote a quick note at the bottom:

Can't wait, see you there. –Charlie

I folded up that map real tight and slid it across the counter. Beth Ann turned back around, a fresh coat of bright red lipstick on her mouth. I gave her a smile and winked at her. She grinned right back, and I knew that I had fished out the perfect bass from the lake. Yeah, the fishing terms from my father really stuck themselves in the back of my head.

"Do you mind if I bring my sister along?" Beth Ann asked with her long southern drawl. I hung over the words for a minute until I realized she was waiting for an answer.

"Oh. Well, um, how old is she?" Beth Ann giggled and replied, "She's my twin, doll! Can she come?"

I shrugged and said that Beth Ann's twin was more than welcome to come along. I realized with glee that now Mac would have a share in my glory, and I was suddenly even more excited for this afternoon. I explained to Beth Ann that I would be grilling some ribs and I'd serve all the food that I had just bought. Her face lit up the more and more I talked.

"Well then, babe. Can't wait!" and she kissed my cheek. I touched the kiss lightly and found red smeared on my fingertips. I mumbled my good bye and dragged my feet out the sliding doors. I realized that I had no patience to wait for 1:30 to come.

Beth Ann

I leaned against the counter after Charlie left the store in his drunken daze. I wiped the lipstick from my mouth and rubbed it off on the side of the cash register. I was looking forward to some foose ball or whatever we're watching, and unfolded the map to try to familiarize myself with the directions. The note in the bottom corner made me jump with delight.

**Hope you liked the first chapter! ChaziiBabes, thank you for inviting me into the competition. Those other writers who were also invited good luck! JonasBabe12**


	2. Chapter 2

The Second Chapter

**Hey guys! I want to thank those who read my other story (and yes, I am still going to write it. Be patient!) and reading the first chapter of The Beginning of the End. Things will start to happen a little fast to have the ending in chapter 10. This is for a contest, so when I get to chapter 10, that's the end. Oh, don't want me to stop writing? THEN GIVE ME SOME REVIEWS, PEOPLE!!!! They make me happy. ******

Charlie

_Crunch._ "He's going!" _Crunch. _"He's at the 60 yard line!"_CRUNCH._ "Touchdown! The Reds take the lead!" _CRUNCH!!!_

Mac's veins were popping on his neck and he turned to look at me, evil eyed.

"Charlie." He said. "Stop with that nutcracker! You've had enough walnuts!"

I glared at him and cracked open another walnut and popped it in my mouth. I was getting really upset, and breaking open a bunch of walnuts really calmed my nerves. Beth Ann was over 2 hours late, and the football game was almost over. I opened another nut and literally shoved it down my throat. Mac loudly let out a gush of air and stood up to grab another can of beer.

I cannot tell you how fast I was to my feet when the doorbell rang. I ran as fast as I could with a very crazy look on my face and knocked the can right of Mac's hands. He was just walking back to the living room. Now, the can of Bud Light exploded and sent sparks of yellow liquid everywhere. I flung open the door. Beth Ann stared wide eyed at the lovely display of beer that was soaking my ceiling and even landed on her.

I pulled her right in, saying, "Come in! Please, come in! Make yourself at home, and eat whatever you like in the kitchen and the bathroom is down the hall, and….and that's about it." She managed a smile and fell over into the large couch after I pushed her into it. I spun around to grab some saltine crackers so she could eat when I smacked into a body.

I guess this was Beth Ann's sister, cause I certainly did NOT invite her myself. She had fiery hair, fiery eyes, and dull skin. I admired her for a minute but her skin really threw me off. It was like she tried to get a tan, but the final result was this light brown color that looked like you could stick stuff on it. Colored super glue. I bet she could be the first one to invent it.

"Excuse me." I mumbled and moved to my left. She went in the same direction, blocking me again. "_Excuse me._" I said louder. I tried to swerve around her, but she stayed in my path. I put my hands on her shoulders and pushed with all my might. "Get out of my way, you annoying little twerp!"

The girl laughed. Laughed and laughed and laughed. I clenched my teeth and stood still. My balled up fists were at my side and my long arms were like the toughest branches against my hips. I took in a deep breath and grinned fakingly at her.

"Hello." I muttered through tight lips. "I need to go through here. Do you mind moving your skinny little _butt_ out of my path?"

The girl with the lion mane for hair smiled a real, true smile. It was so genuine and she held out her hand. "I needed to introduce myself first!" she giggled. "My name is Renee."

I shook her hand. It was warm and it seemed to melt my own big, manly hand. I shuddered as a spark flew up my spine. "He…hello. I'm Charlie." She beamed at me and gave me a big hug. She and Beth Ann were definitely from Arizona or wherever. The surprising thing was, I hugged her right back. I smiled as I inhaled her flowery scent and tightened my grip. But then I realized I was here for Beth Ann, NOT a lion named Renee.

I literally shoved her away and ran away from her. I was planning to go to the kitchen, but I ended up out the door, jogging down the road. I sped up when I heard a voice call my name behind me. I first thought about turning around. I mean, Beth Ann was certainly the one yelling for me, right? But she would come after me if she really wanted to.

A motor was revved and a motorcycle pulled up alongside me. Beth Ann was driving it and she quickly jumped off and dragged the monster to the grass along the cement. She caught up to me and wrapped her long arms around my waist.

"Charlie, where are you going? I thought we were spending some time together." I looked deep into her shining eyes and had a feeling of deep connection. But I winced when I realized that my new need for Renee was far stronger than this longing for a beautiful check out girl named Beth Ann.

"Beth Ann," I began. "I really was the happiest man on earth when you agreed to come over today." She looked confused, but let me continue. I reached out for her hand and held onto it. She smiled now, figuring everything was all right. She really liked me? No one else has ever actually 'wanted' me.

"It's hard for me to say…" So I decided to show her. I knew that I probably needed Renee. She was a crazy lion – excuse me, lioness – that was so flexible and she was the perfect girl for me. But despite all of this, I thrust forward and pressed my lips onto Beth Ann's. I could feel her melt into my pores. I think she even chuckled, as if she was thinking, "Ha! What did I have to worry about?" We just kind of stood there, not moving. I pulled away.

"I….love you." It was a total lie.

**Was that what you expected to happen? Okay, here's a preview:**

_**I walked out on her and into the arms of the right choice.**_

**Gotta go! Luv you all!**


	3. Chapter 3

The Third Chapter

** First off, I want to thank number1maxfan for reading all of my stories, THECROW and musicgirl (and others) for putting up with my begging to R&R, and chazzibabes for inviting me into this contest!!!! Like I said, I have to speed things up a little so the ending is in chapter 10. And I have officially decided that I update B of the E on Sunday and Thursday, except for the week New Moon comes, I will update on that Friday (November 20). THAT is when the truth is told and his decision is made.**

Beth Ann

"Hold on tight, Charlie!" I scream over the roar of the motorcycle. "It's gonna be a bumpy ride, doll!"

It was two days after Renee and I went over to Charlie's place. I finally convinced him to ride with me on my bike (well, technically, it was Renee's bike) and I had already devised a plan. We would ride and ride along the small streets for at least an hour. Then, I would turn along the dirt path I found the other day and would drive to the very end, the top of a steep cliff. We would stay there forever (cause the bike "ran out of gas") in our own little paradise.

My dream come true. A true love, a true beginning, with no true end.

I swerve in between cars as Charlie yells, "No! Beth Ann, watch out for that silver Volvo!"

_Scccccccrrreeeeeee….._ I gasp as I realize that I was scratching up against a beautiful silver car, with gleaming door handles and glistening windows. A rugged road had now been carved on the side. A stunning face suddenly appeared from the driver's side, the window rolled down.

"What the heck was that for?!" says the big, highly-in-shape figure. He had massive shoulders and a defined chest. A six-pack was seen through his cotton shirt and dark sun glasses rested on his nose. Call me a ding-dong cahoodle, but I noticed all of this before he grumbled deeply at me and sped up to about 85 mph, out of sight.

I heard Charlie breathing heavily behind me. I take one hand away for the handle bars and reach back to place it on his arm. He relaxes, and he lays his head on my shoulder. I feel his face buried into my hair. I'm real thankful that I used that jasmine and mint shampoo this morning. I turn fully around and kiss Charlie on his neck, since his face was covered in my lushes locks. It was a quick kiss, cause I had to look out for that dirt path.

I hear a sigh from the back of the motorcycle. Charlie leans over so his head is next to mine, and he says (quite loudly), "Beth Ann, this is a lot of fun. But when are we gonna reach that secret place you were talkin' about? I don't like riding this fast in the open for so long." I smile into his eyes. "Soon," I yell. "We're almost there."

That was when I saw the hidden little path behind some trees alongside the road. I speed up to get in front of the car in front of me, and turn real fast before the driver could crash into me. The motorcycle dragged on bumpily along the dirt and rubble. Charlie eased up a little, probably cause we were moving along slower.

"We're almost there, hon." I said. I could almost _hear_ his mouth turn up into a smile. We bounced over a large stone and his arms wound around my waist before he fell off. I laughed out loud and rode faster to 40 mph. He screamed and squealed and tried to tell me to stop. But we were almost to the top.

Charlie

The view is absolutely spectacular! The ocean is gray and shiny below us, ferns on top of the tallest trees reach up and up to us, and Beth Ann was actually holding my hand! I'm pretty darn lucky, but I couldn't help wonder what it would've been like here with Renee. All the sights would be dull compared to her.

"Charlie, I love you." murmured Beth Ann. I winced at the glow on her face. She leaned over and kissed me full on the lips. I just kind of stood there, waiting for her to stop. But she didn't, she just kept kissing me passionately. The only thing that made me feel better was the jasmine smell in her hair. When I'm stressed, I take a whiff of jasmine and I feel better. That's why I was sniffing Beth Ann's hair on the motorcycle. Hopefully, she didn't take it the wrong way….

Beth Ann finally breaks away from me and smiles. Letting go of my hand, she walks over to the motorcycle to pull out a blanket form a basket strapped to the back. Spreading that on the ground, she then grabbed the basket and put it on the dirt. "Come sit!" she said to me, and I sat.

Now, the good thing about country girls is that they really know how to eat. She had packed fried chicken, potato salad, a pitcher of lemonade (that was on its side after the awful ride. Some of the drink had spilled on the container with the salad), a big plate wrapped in foil with chocolate cookies underneath, and some apple crumbly.

"Beth Ann!" I screeched. "This is better than anything I could buy at River Edge!"

I dug into a chicken thigh, trying to forget how awful I was to not truly love the girl who would probably die for me.

**Okay, so this was the 3****rd**** chapter. I tried to make it as good as possible, to fit into the story. It was mainly a filler to prove how deeply in love Beth Ann is with Charlie. Please R&R? number1maxfan, someone BESIDES you. All you say is 'OH! Sooooo good, please update!!!' I need some really good criticism and some nice questions. Pretty please? Oh, and I forgot my disclaimer:**

** I don't own Twilight. There.**


	4. Chapter 4

The Fourth Chapter

** So this will probably seem like a filler, but it's an important chapter to read. Thanks to the maximum (ha ha, Maximum Ride) to those who are dedicated readers and who truly enjoy what I write…..or type. Whatever. So thank you very much! And in case you were wondering, the hunk in the silver Volvo was Emmett!!!!! Yes, it is true. And I don't know if Renee was a single child, but here she apparently has a twin. On with the story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, but I own Mac, Beth Ann, and others. There will be some other people I made up in this chapter.**

Renee

I am quite depressed. It's a very strangely bright day outside in May, and I am stuck in the house! Beth Ann is out with Charlie and I am very jealous. I am not one to keep in my feelings, so she knows how I feel about him. Yet, she's out with him. I can _not _believe her!

I sit down on the old couch in the small space we call the living room. Yeah, right. Me and my sister live in a small, one-bedroom house next to the college that we go to. We made another bedroom out of the dining room and that is where I sleep. At dinner time, we eat wherever. The television set is super old from an antique shop, and most of the pots and pans used for cooking has been passed through the generations.

The beds that we sleep in are just piled up mattresses with moth eaten blankets. The newest item that we own is probably my motorcycle. It was my high school graduation present. Beth Ann received a puppy. Yep, a brand spankin' puppy! I love my motorcycle, but her mini Maltese is so cute. She named it Dot. A girl mini Maltese named Dot? I don't know how she came up with the name, but I still love the little scruff of fur.

"Renee!" I hear someone yell. I guess I had been day dreaming, because I saw my friend Kelly at the door. She was banging loudly on the red wood of the front door with her face pressed up to the little glass window in the middle of it. I smiled weakly at her and stood from my place on the couch.

You see, Kelly is what you city folk would call bratty and what us country folk would call a priss. She hung over guys and talked nonstop about weekend trips that I was dragged along to. Of course, we have gone on a weekend trip every week, and they were all to the local shopping center. Not much there, but she was satisfied with the dress shop and the drugstore for makeup.

I unlocked the door to let Kelly in. "Oh my gosh! Renee, you will never guess!" Kelly exploded. She dragged in a deep breath and said everything in one strand of words: "So, I decided that Anthony is a whole lot cuter than Jeff, so I asked him out on a date and he said YES!!! And I was wondering if maybe you wanted to come with us, like, on a double date if you have someone you can ask??"

I sighed and took her arm, pulling her into my some kind of bedroom.

"Kelly, I don't know if I could ask anybody. I mean… there is… someone…um…"

Her eyes bulged out and she leapt to her feet right on my bed (cough mattresses cough). She jumped up and down, up and down, squealing, "RENEE!!!! Oh my gosh!!!!!! A guy? Seriously? OMG, this is the best day EVER! You have to ask him and we'll double date to that nice café in town, and we can go shopping for the perfect dress and we ca…"

I interrupted her by holding up my hand. I am one of the more civilized country girls, if you can believe it. She immediately stopped talking to hear what I had to say.

"You don't get it. My sister is…dating him." I mumbled. Kelly hung her head and, I swear, started weeping. I rubbed her back, even though I should be the one who gets the comforting words. In fact, I was planning to go into a crying fit after she left.

"Come on, Kel. Let's get some water.", and I led her off to the teeny kitchen. All of the water me and Beth Ann get to our house is from underground wells, and I saved up for a purifier. So technically, you can't really taste any difference in the water here and the water somewhere else. Kelly gladly took the glass I filled from the tap. As she drank, little bubbles rose in the water and some exploded on her face. I laughed when I realized she was hiccupping.

When Kelly got her breath, she turned to me with red eyes. "Renee, you have to ask him to go out with you and me and Anthony." She sounded real whiny. Like I said a priss at heart. "It could be _sooo_ much fun!" I shrugged, but she gave me some weirdly adorable puppy dog eyes. I heard a whimper from the doorway of the kitchen, and there was Dot. Sure enough, the same eyes were plastered on her face.

I giggled and retrieved a treat from the drawer by the fridge. "Can't beat Dot." I mumbled to Kelly. She rolled her eyes and tried one last time to get me to ask out Charlie. "Renee, listen. You seriously like this guy from the sound of it, and you deserve a boy friend. Pwetty pweez?" She sounded like a baby.

I winced and inhaled, then exhaled.

"Kelly," I began, forming an insult in my mind. Her eyes bore me down. "I'll ask him tomorrow."

**Hope this is good!!! I try not to make it too long or too short, but New Moon release date will be the great truth and from there, the ending approaches!!!!**


	5. Chapter 5

The Fifth Chapter

**So here is the reveal! Sorry if you were all expecting me to update on Sunday AND today, but I was grounded. So, this week is only on Friday. Let me know if you saw New Moon!!!! I want to know what you all thought about it…..**

**Disclaimer: So, basically I don't own Twilight. Unfortunately. But I own the characters I make, and I love them. **

**P.S. I was reading New Moon, and found out Renee and Charlie got married right after high school. Well, they are seniors in college. So forget what New Moon said.**

Renee

I was very sulky at the moment.

When Beth Ann and Charlie got back from their picnic lunch, they were holding hands. Charlie looked kind of . . . guilty? Well, there was something wrong in his eyes. The two (well, mainly Beth Ann) decided to go out to a fancy Mexican restaurant for dinner, and Charlie nearly threw a fit begging Beth Ann for me to come along. I was thrilled!

But here we are.

We walked in through the doors, and the waiters looked at Beth Ann greedily and the waitresses rolled their eyes. One guy, named Pedro by his nametag, quickly gathered a big mass of menus and smiled broadly.

"Hola!" he greeted us. "Booth or table?" Beth Ann asked for something private, so Pedro led us through a maze of tables and chairs, turning a corner where a lone, old table and rickety seats rested in the middle of a dusty room. He pulled out the chair for Beth Ann, nodded at Charlie, and walked away for a pair of swinging doors. I guessed that led to the kitchen.

I sat down, lacking any grace, and stared at the small grains on the laminated table top. Beth Ann was giggling and Charlie was chuckling, but his low laughs sounded fake. I began twiddling my thumbs and hoped someone would take our order soon. I knew what I had to do, but how? Beth Ann was sitting right here . . .

"Renee," I heard Charlie say. "Are you alright? You look sort of . . . anxious."

I looked up to meet his deep brown eyes. He was very kind, but there was a somewhat controlling edge to him. Like if you didn't act okay, he would do something about it. I know he would make a really great dad.

"Yeah," I squeaked, my voice too high for a normal person. He stared at me quizzically. I sighed, giving in. "I . . . um . . . just wanted to talk . . . to you. Alone."

Charlie's eyebrows shot up, a smile forming on his lips. Beth Ann was fuming besides him. She slowly shook her head, but right then our waiter came back.

"So, who wants something to drink?" he asked, a pen on his little order pad. I opened my mouth to ask for water, but Beth Ann interrupted.

"Actually, we were getting something at the bar," she hissed.

Pedro hung his head and sulked away. Beth Ann jumped up, glaring at me. "Be right back," she muttered. She turned on her heel and stomped off.

Charlie was waiting for me to say something. But what could I do? Sure, I liked him, but Beth Ann met him first. It's a simple case of finder's keepers, loser's weepers. Nothing could make Beth Ann change her mind about Charlie, and Charlie seemed content. But I had to ask him out, and I realized that I would have to do it quickly.

I opened my mouth to begin.

Beth Ann

I stood at the little run down bar with my head buried in my hands. I didn't what I was more upset about: Charlie and Renee, or the slow business of this place. I ordered two margaritas (none for Renee, of course) and the young boy who was working the machines was more interested in me than filling the cups.

When he was finally through, I grabbed the glasses a little too roughly and sprinted to the corner that hid out seats from view. I pressed myself against the wall and listened.

"So, um . . . so do you want to go somewhere? Sometime?" Renee stumbled over her words. I rolled my eyes. I mean, is she so desperate? Charlie was totally mine, and she needed to get over herself.

"Sure! Anytime," Charlie exclaimed. I gasped and my legs turned to jelly. I crouched down on the floor. Did my boyfriend just cheat on me? For my _sister?_ NO! I perked my ears up as he started to talk again.

"I know I hang out with Beth Ann a lot," Charlie began with a strong voice. "But I really wanted to always get to know you better. I mean . . . I like you a lot more than your sister."

I felt like I was choking! Was he serious? I thought he loved me, I thought he really liked doing stuff with me. Now Renee had to go ruin it. I stormed towards them and plopped in my seat.

"Here _Charlie_," I said with as much evil in my voice as possible. "Sorry, Renee. I decided not to get you anything." She shrugged, looking down at the table top again.

I grabbed Charlie's hand and played with his fingers. He winced when I touched him, but I didn't let him pull away. I pulled a pink pen from my pocket and drew hearts on his arm, smiling as I did.

"So, what should we do tomorrow?" I quizzed Charlie. "We can stay at my place, or ride the motorcycle again, or go out somewhere . . ."

I was shocked when he jumped to his feet and yanked away from me.

"Beth Ann, I can't do this anymore," he said. "Renee, let's go, babe."

I started to cry as they walked away.

**Sorry if you didn't think this was very good, but please R&R! I need criticism.**


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